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Don
I did a little further research they are both readily available in the UK.
Use them as a top dressing, so the approach that I was going to take by using them as layers in a compost bin would work as well.
It will make both of them go further and it will ensure a more even spreading of all the minerals, trace elements and organic matter needed for healthy growing.
You can find Rockdust here:
http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/seeds-plants-gardening/62247/rockdust-x10kg?gclid=CLn2i5OWtqsCFQMPfAodMGiScAOr here: http://www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=200437&pf_id=LS3848D&co=fr
Which has information on application, advises not to add lime.
As for Biochar try here for discussion:
http://www.allotments-uk.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9551And here for suppliers:
http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/HarrodSite/pages/product/product.asp?prod=GFE-003&cookie_test=1Its a matter of doing a bit more searching to find larger 20Kg bags as it works out cheaper and for one suspect that 20Kg of either or both would be enough on a rolling basis to keep your soil healthy.
The only other thing I would suggest would be test the pH of the soil on a regular basis to ensure it is neither too acid or too alkaline.
As my soil is still a bit claggy, lacking a lot of drainage and still in need of organic matter/humus then the addition of Rockdust and Biochar can not effectively do it any harm.
Don
It is an interesting subject, although this reply may be outside the remit of growing.
It is a sustainable form of farming, I think it is being adopted by farmers in practice as well.
I have not read up on it completely but it is being researched.
But to round the circle if municipal authorities are moving towards biodesters for dealing with organic waste materials, as are sewage works, to produce electricity.
The waste pellets are then passed on to power generation plants where the last bit of energy is extracted from the pellets produced by the bio-digesters.
Then would it not make sense if they burnt that with a low oxygen content producing bio-char which could then be used in farming.
As far as I can tell the bio-char acts like fertilizer and it lasts in the soil for a long time, locking up carbon essentially from the atmosphere.
Could be used as part of geo-engineering which is currently in the process of development.
To me that is what sustainability is about, mostly from a food growing angle but that all the raw materials we take out of the earth should be returned in one form or another or just simply recycled.
Burying waste from our over consumptive society is not the solution, we need to close the feedback loops which is what sustainability is about to me.
If bio-char does increase soil productivity without the use of chemical fertilisers derived from petro chemical industry, then does it not make sense to do that from a sustainable source?
If we have increased demand on land use, then does it not make sense to make the land we do use for growing food more productive to do it a way that is sustainable?
The problem that no one is talking about very much or least as far as governments go is exponential population growth. The elephant in the room, it is itself is not sustainable, it’s an oxymoron.
Something has to be done about population growth globally, it is none sustainable at some point when that growth meets its maximum, populations will collapse, it is inevitable.
In the natural world for example a plague of locusts can ravage a landscape, until they run out of food, then they die. It is more complicated than that but essentially we are forgetting that we are part of an organic living system, we think we are above it and that that can not or will not happen to use.
As far as I know there is a biochar producer in the UK, it is not cheap, not sure of what the application rate is but I for sure will be using it.
Whereas Rockdust does pretty much the same except that it re-mineralises the soil, not so much of a problem for small scale growing but essentially it ensures that the soil has all the minerals that it needs. There are some minerals which are lacking in most UK soils.
As small scale growers then to me we should not abandon either biochar or the use of Rockdust but use it as a general purpose application/addition to our soil.
It helps with keeping the soil healthy, locks up excess carbon from the atmosphere and traps it in the soil.
As for how I would use them, I would use them as a layer in my compost bin, along with lime, as my assumption is you do not need much of them. The application rates I have seen suggest that is for industrial farming practices.
Why would I do it?
To ensure that all the micro/macro flora and fauna in my growing space as well as the plants/vegetables are given all that they need to survive in a healthy environment.
Where a whole food chain exists from the smallest living organism to the larger predators/prey species. At the same time giving me the healthiest fruit and vegetables which will lack 57 varieties of herbicide and pesticide as in some recently tested supermarket apples. YUCK!!!!
On a health and population angle, all those additives can not be healthy for us in the long term and frankly I for one think it is a ticking bomb that we setting up for future generations.
Given that manure is manure, then surely if it is organic or not makes little difference?
When you consider how much manure you may put on your land once it has rotted down, then surely any traces of additives from non-organic farming practices are neither here nor there?
So it begs the question other than salving your conscience why bother paying any extra for organic manure?
I suppose it is up to the individual, for me it matters not if it is organic as the practice for me of following NO DIG and not using any other additives other than those that are considered to be organic.
Avoiding where possible the use of chemicals for outways the cost of organic or not as far as manure is concerned.
Aside from which I have no control of where the manure that comes to our allotment site comes from, so the point is mute.
Surely the point is that if you follow the No Dig approach you are building up predator/prey species and that purchasing Nematodes from a supplier is just a waste of money.
If your soil is healthy does it not beg the questions will the nematodes that prey on host species not build up naturally?
A fool and their money…….
Unless you wish to multiply your problem with couch grass ten x ten fold then do not rotavate the area.
What was one stem/root will be cut up into a lots of bits all of which will grow.
I had couch grass on my allotment plot, time is a great healer.
I covered the growing areas with manure and the paths in between with 7 or so layers of newspaper and then covered in bark mulch.
As the grass grows in both cases you pull it up, it comes up easily as it is not so heavily anchored.
Over time it disappears and covering decreases it to start with but you have to stay on top of pulling it up lest it should get a foothold again.
After that all you have to do is to top dress with compost/rotted manure and bark chip for paths to keep it all under control.
I now have growing strips devoid of couch grass and paths that are the same all in about 1-2 years. The former if you spend lots of time on keeping on top of it, however I did not so it will be this coming year that will be year 2 for me and it will be gone.
Thanks Charles, I was going on advice I had been given, in that it not advised in general to compost bindweed.
I would have thought it was certainly true not to compost marestail.
Anyhow I do compost both of them just not in my compost heap, spreading the love.
All my waste that I deem hazardous (I use that term loosely) goes to the communal heap.
Another piece of advice which is not true, do not compost rhubarb leaves, that is wrong, you can compost them.
It was on Gardeners World that you could do it, I did anyhow. Lots of old wives tales out there, you just have to wheedle your way through them.
Assume that most people have heard of Terra Preta, it is a method of slash/burn farming used by meso-American Indians from Mexico to the Amazon basin.
By burning in a specific way they produced charcoal which was trapped in the soil.
Small areas were cleared and farmed for a number years, not sure how many but maybe up to 20 years before fertility decreased.
This is how the various cultures Aztecs, Mayan etc supported large populations, in the case of Mexico city which at the time of the Spanish conquest was the largest city in the world with an estimated population of 1 million. They used the floating islands, artificial land for growing as well.
Back to TP it apparently traps carbon in the soil, it helps in the release of a greater number of nutrients/minerals and increased productivity by 300%.
It is natures fertiliser and it is one area I intend to take a look at along with Rockdust which is from the SEER org.
Rockdust is the waste product from the quarrying industry, the problem with our reliance upon inorganic fertilisers is that our soils lack for want of a better word fibre.
Rockdust re-mineralises soils allowing plants to access all the minerals it needs for healthy growth. It can be added to compost heap or sprinkled on soil and thus incorporated into the soil.
However Biochar was principally used in the Amazon which was thought unable to support a large population, this method of sustainable farming did just that.
To me it seems to all make sense as all the products are natural and in no way artificial unlike chemical fertilisers.
Its all a bit of misnomer anyhow, as lime is not an organic product but it is used in organic gardening. However it was once living, most substances allowable in organic gardening are not all organic, meaning they did not live at some point.
It is a sustainable form of growing food and one perhaps the farmers should take a look at rather than reliance on petro-chemical based products.
I inherited some bindweed with the raspberry canes that I got for free, in the communal area (yours for the taking) at our allotment site.
It has been present for the last two seasons, it has never been given a chance to take hold.
As soon as it sticks it’s head above ground I pull it up.
As these canes have not been productive at all this year, it is my intention to take them out and take them to the communal compost area, it’s where I take all my rubbish.
I take nothing from this compost heap, especially as I put my odd bits of marestail in there as well.
There is no solution as far as I know other than pulling it out.
The guy on the plot next to me has an infestation of it in with his blackberries and he knows he is going to have a mare of time getting rid of it.
Burn the bits you do get out, do not compost it, that is the only solution, it is like marestail it is is persistent but eventually if you essentially cut it off from light over time you will weaken the roots and kill.
Time is the only thing do not let it get a foothold again and you should be fine.
So far this year I have not had a problem with many pests, including the slimy ones. They seem to have reduced with the increase in biodiversity as I am trying to be as organic as possible.
I do not use any pesticides or herbicides or additional feed other than lots and lots of manure. Hopefully my own compost will be ready soon to add to the plots in autumn.
So far the broad beans which are usually worst for aphids/blackfly have not been attacked either.
But then I did inter-plant with wildflowers, marigolds and nasturtiums on most beds. The latter go really well with broad beans as aphids love them, no problem with lettuce either inter-planted with onions, shallots, nothing likes them.
Frankly your are lucky ours used to be a municpal tip/domestic waste site back between the wars and was probably turned over to alloments during the Dig for Victory campaign.
Thankfully although the soil is clayey, suffers from waterlogging and there has been 60 years of growing on that site.
At least I have some soil to work with and it has taken 2 years come November to get it into a fit state to cultivate it all.
Why has it taken that long, well firstly I had to finish my degree, then being unemployed and not being able to get any benefits whatsoever because of living with a partner at the time who was additionally a student. No money….that has changed we are currently living apart and I have access to benefits whilst looking for a job.
It takes not just time but money in the first instance to get an allotment or growing space fit for purpose.
Dread to think what some of us are growing our vegetables on it is probably a health safety logistical nightmare in terms of contamination. But we have to be thankful for small mercies it took 2 or 3 years to get my allotment. There are 25 sites with 659 plots and a waiting list of 359.
My advice add some muck then some more muck and then more muck and you will get there. You need to develop some humus through addition of organic matter, I found just covering it with manure helped a great deal, any grass that got through pulls up real easy. Another layer of muck killed of the rest, prior to this I used a systemic herbicide (not organic I know but given history of site does it matter).
This initially killed of the dock and severly weakend any that survived, any seedlings that now come through are small and pull up easily. Answer keep on top of weeding whilst moving on to the next plot and then go back add some more manure/mulch and weed again.
It’s never ending with the weeding but over time it should disappear. I have a standard size allotment plot with 14 x 4′ x 33′ plots with one foot paths between the wheel barrow fits through as well, contrary to what I have been told (the paths are lower than the growing plots they are in effect areas that collect water and keep the raised beds (plots) moist.
Its been a lot of hard work, crops I put in late last summer are now ready for harvesting or not far off. Crops put in this year are being harvested, the salad leaves are ready, as are the spring onions. I pick the salad leaves as I need them, peas, beans, potatoes, courgettes, fruit bushes are all growing and will soon be ready for harvest.
Crops for later in the year i.e. cabbages, swede, celeriac, celery are all about ready to go in. Then it will be my salad crops i.e. endive, landcress for winter cropping, along with crops of onions, cabbages for spring the following year.
Polytunnel still not in so no tomatoes or greenhouse crops this year…c’est la vie.
What is important here the journey or how you get there. I do not dig my plots either, nor do if I can help it use chemicals but in that journey I might have or may have resorted to them, to hasten my journey. Currently looking into Rockdust, I was aware of it but it got buried along the way.
Concept, our soils lack some key/essential minerals selenium being one, the calcium/magnesium balance is more important. Rockdust is volcanic rock a by-product of quarrying, you add it to your soil or compost bin like lime. It acts as an acclerator, adds key minerals and increases your crop yield. Think of it in terms of growing on the side of Vesuvius or Etna. How green is it, well you need less water, transportation is an issue but you do not need so many or to use any additional fertilisers. The Jury is out for me but will give it a try.
Onwards and upwards, once more into the breach….the weather is clearing here in the North West of England, we have been having that lovely soft Irish rain and goodness we needed it.
Well that should all do the environment no end of good if food producers stop using recycled paper./cardboard. As for Jordan’s it says a lot about their stance on what is considered to be a brand at the healthier end of the market.
I think it tastes like sawdust and any food that makes me feel like that I avoid. Food should be a pleasure and a joy not a punishment.
Anyhow I digress again, not a problem for me as the only cereal that I get in boxes is risotto rice and I usually decant it into a recycled glass container (a certain brand of Dutch coffee).
In fact I have very little of the printed type of cardboard around my home, I try to keep my environmental impacts to a minimum. I buy food loose whenever I can i.e. meat from a butcher and vegetables in paper bags from a grocer for those items such as oranges which I can not grow myself or currently do not grow.
Most breakfast cereals are loaded with sugar and salt, which is why I do not have them and the only cereal I eat is bread (homemade), pasta, rice or porridge oats which is delightfully cheap and a great source of slow release energy. Our food is over processed which is why I buy fresh ingredients and cook according to seasonality and availability. The only processed foods I have in stock are Olive Oil, cooking oil, balsamic vinegar, cheese (about to start making my own), butter (unsalted), lard, dried pasta and coffee.
My advice is move away from over processed saw dust disguised as food with the over judicious additions of salt and sugar to add flavour, to what is an otherwise bland product.
Which comes as no surprise, given that a lot of people are driven to growing their own vegetables for a number of reasons, not just the taste. Primarily, the reason for me was to save money. Have less impact upon the environment, minimize my carbon foot print and of course for my own health.
The latter has more than one facet, after all most of us will grow organically, so our food contains less pesticides, residues but there is the improved fitness aspect as well, physical as well as mental health.
But I digress, making your own compost ticks most of those boxes, depending on how you do it, it can be a time intensive, in the matter of turning but that only needs to be done on a few occasions, some just leave it to rot down.
That is usually done with single constituent compost ingredients such as leaves or manure. But hot composting (by turning) is a little more labour intensive but the results are quicker, non-turning can take up to 2 years.
Ordering lorry-loads of manure, compost, top-soil is not an option for those on a limited income. So making your own compost is the best option, as it additionally ticks most of the boxes for the reasons that you grow your own as well.
Those that do not have access to transport other than public because they do not drive or do not own are car are unable to access other sources of organic matter, so again they have to make their own.
Making your own is cheaper, more fun, better for the environment and do not forget to wee (it’s a compost activator) on your compost heaps from time to time for additional nitrogen. If it is good enough to have been mentioned in the past on GQT on Radio 4 then surely we can get over it. But beware of enraging public decency, use a bottle (in your shed or other facilities close by) and those of you that need to (you know who you are) use a funnel.
Secondly making your own may mean it takes longer to get what you require to cover all areas in the first place but you will get better results in the long term.
My allotment site is badly water-logged, that has started to improve, the worm population has increased dramatically and are already busying themselves with doing the digging on my plot. Another couple of years and the plots will be at a height where the water-logging will not be an issue. Growing crops itself will cure some of that as it will suck up a lot of water, which you take away with you when you harvest your crops.
Make your own it’s simpler, cheaper and better for the environment and you.
Having had my allotment since November 2009, a lot of reading was undertaken on what processes could be used to make the growing of vegetables and fruit easier.
The first year was spent trialling different approaches and getting nowhere, hence the interest in No Digging which I had been aware of before I started out.
I suppose I should define my plot it is 33′ wide by 93′ long. Where to begin is what you find you are asking yourself with an over grown plot which suffers badly from water logging.
It is my theory that the water logging will cease to be such a problem with:
A) the raising of the plot to a level by which the surface level is above the bordering paths. Currently there are spots where it is up to 18″ lower than the paths.
The soil type is predominately towards the clay end of the scale.
C) It lacks organic matter, which does not help with the drainage.
D) The growing of vegetables itself will take up much of the water from the land and over time this will in turn stop the water logging. As it is a resource that will be removed with the crops.As I see it the solution is to:
A) use the no dig principle for growing.
raising the level of the growing area by using 4′ wide strips across the width of the plot. By covering soil with cardboard, manure and a layer of compost.Hard structures that I inherited on my rectangular plot include two sheds to the bottom right hand corner of the plot, a compost bin made from pallets in the top left hand corner opposite to the sheds. A large water tank to the right of the compost bin and a sycamore tree to the left of the sheds.
A recent discovery through another blog proved to be useful it is an interactive growing plan/computer program which can be found here: http://www.growveg.com.
It has proved a blessing as you can define structures and create growing plans. It has given me 14 growing strips 4′ wide by 33′. The first growing strip is 10′ from the boundary at the shed end. The top right hand corner next to the water butt/tank is where the poly-tunnel will be located, surrounded by a 2′ wide raised bed area.
This is for growing those crops in such as artichokes, lovage, horseradish and herbs such as mint in, all those which need to be restricted. Other growing strips will have permanent planting in them such as fruit bushes/trees or asparagus.
As yet there are no pictures and at this stage I am not sure how to post them but will look into that for future posts. It is not my intention to hi-jack this forum but to demonstrate a journey and a process by which as an individual the process that I have undertaken to get around problems and obstacles in growing.
So to complete this first part of my journey, let me tell where I am up to currently.
Towards the end of the summer in September last year I was still toying with the No Dig principle and finally decided it was the route to go. So my first act was to dig some of the plot over which raised the soil level but decided that this went against what I wished to achieve, it would take too long and I may have found myself in the same situation as the year before.
Shortly after in early autumn the first lot of manure arrived and the covering of the site in strips was started. However there were problems some areas still had crops in and some other crops such as cabbages and broad beans were planted.
At that time I had not discovered the vegetable growing program but I needed to get on with getting the site covered. This process along with using the program continued through to winter. By the first week in December 1/3rd of the site had been covered in manure. Winter weather put me off any further work until the new year.
Freecycle alerted me to a poly-tunnel which was slightly damaged, but they listed where they got if from so I took a look at the website, they had a sale on and it was decided in or around Christmas to purchase one, it duly arrived in mid-January.
Growing is a journey of discovery, knowing the limitations of your land, or your body, time limits and battling against the weather. The last 6 months have been nothing if not an adventure and period of enlightenment.
What are the next steps?
1. To finish off covering the remainder of the site in manure, having in the last week actually defined the growing spaces and paths. Currently I estimate that I have shifted over one hundred barrow loads of manure about 200′ from the bunker in which it sits to the end of my plot.
2. To install the poly-tunnel and the seating area next to that.
3. To define and develop a wild area, with native wild flowers and a pond next to the sheds.
4. Create the new compost bins out of pallets donated by a new plot holder, some of them are of the double type which means less cutting, sawing, nailing to erect.
5. Get some compost to cover the plots I have already manured ready for seeding with this years crops using square foot gardening.
6. Growing seeds in the poly-tunnel ready for transplanting either outside or in the poly-tunnel.
7. Purchase fruit bushes and trees over the coming year, for either planting out in late March or from November this year.
8. Build the raised bed around the poly-tunnel this is to act as a barrier for crops such as artichokes that tend to spread and to stop the wind from getting at the covering. Not forgetting the raised bed is acting an anchor as well.
I think that is enough for this year and for now….more to follow…….the last week has allowed me to define the growing areas and paths and to put more manure on the growing strips leaving me with only 3 more strips to complete that phase of the adventure.